Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army claimed it shot down a Turkish drone at an airport near Tripoli, amid escalating tensions between Ankara and Tripoli.
The LNA also said the Mitiga airport, the only still functioning civilian airport in Libya, was targeted in an airstrike. All flights were suspended “until further notice,” airport officials said.
Earlier on Sunday, Turkey officials slammed Haftar’s militia for detaining six Turkish nationals, describing it as “an act of thuggery and piracy.”
The fascist Turkish Foreign Ministry said Haftar’s forces would “become legitimate targets” if the Turks were not released.
Haftar declares Turkey not welcome
The 75 year-old Haftar was among the top military commanders in Libya until his falling out with late dictator Moammar Gadhafi in the late 1980s. He then became part of the CIA-backed opposition and returned to the country after Gadhafi’s death in 2011. Haftar is currently allied with a parliament based in Tobruk, which is one of Libya’s two competing governments.
While the military leader claims his goal is to purge the country of terrorists, his opponents claim he actually seeks to make himself a new strongman akin to Gadhafi.
In April, his forces launched an offensive to retake the capital, Tripoli, from troops loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA). However, the attack has since stalled and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently admitted his country was providing arms to the GNA.
According to the news on Net Arabia, the Libyan National Army, said that “the Army is ready soldiers in the capital city boundaries, Turkey and Qatar are awaiting final orders to defeat the group” was passed.
The Libyan National Army took control of the Yermuk Camp in the south of Tripoli after a major attack on the forces of the National Covenant Government.
